More than 700 NHS staff were assaulted across Cumbria last year, latest figures show.

A county MP has labelled the statistics "shocking" and called for stronger action to protect health workers.

A breakdown from the county's three main health trusts reveals a total of 703 staff were assaulted in a 12-month period.

Within the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which runs community and mental health services, there were 418 assaults on staff, including one which led to a criminal sanction. 

At the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Carlisle and Whitehaven hospitals, there were 116 assaults. 

A further 169 staff were assaulted at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

Twelve of these led to criminal sanctions. 

Tim Farron, MP for South Lakes, said: “These figures are extremely concerning. Our dedicated doctors and nurses work incredibly hard to look after patients, and should never be expected to suffer an assault at work. 

“No member of staff should come to work in the NHS and be subjected to, or even fear, assault. The government must take stronger action to protect NHS staff, and send out the message that there will be zero tolerance for violence against doctors and nurses. 

“I am particularly concerned that this increase could be due, in part, to increased waiting times and an NHS which is struggling to cope with greater demands and less funding than is needed.”

A spokeswoman for the Cumbria Partnership said the trust does everything it can to minimise the risk.

“We take assaults against our staff very seriously indeed and have robust mechanisms and policies in place to support those staff who, as part of their job, can be exposed to assaults because of the illnesses of patients they care for. 

"As explained in the report the vast majority of the assaults recorded were carried out by people without the capacity to fully understand their actions due to the nature of their clinical condition. 

“We take all steps possible to minimise the risk of harm to our staff, including a comprehensive training and assessment programme. The emphasis is always to prevent violence and aggression occurring to both protect our staff and our vulnerable patients. 

"However we recognise that incidents do occur and we support staff in these circumstances."

She added that the figure is high because staff are encouraged to report all assaults, so lessons can be learned.